Remarks by the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag for the Cairo Conference on Gaza, 02 December 2024

Thank you very much.

Your Excellency Minister Badr Abdelatty,

Your Excellency Madame Amina Mohammed,

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Your Excellency Prime Minister Mohamed Moustafa,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very much honored to be here at this pivotal moment, under the leadership of Egypt, whose steadfast efforts have provided a lifeline to the people of Gaza. For over a year, Egypt has worked tirelessly to facilitate humanitarian assistance and champion the rights and dignity of those affected by this devastating conflict. The same applies of course to the Royal Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and countries of this region.

Excellencies,

As we gather here today, the people in Gaza – Palestinians - are experiencing a living and unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The Deputy Secretary-General has called it. I have to say, I have visited Gaza over three decades in my life, in different capacities, and nothing prepares you as a fellow human being to the toll, the trauma, the suffering, the loss and the sense of abandonment Palestinian civilians feel. Abandoned by the international community despite our efforts, and of course, their individual losses.

Kilometers of rubble, destruction, where houses and schools stood. Schools that children would be attending, where they would be playing – it is all gone. Destruction has a new name and the toll on human lives to my mind is the same on our shared humanity and it is a reminder of our collective responsibility, it is a moral imperative. And despite all efforts, by all in this room, political engagement, pleads, support and financing - nearly a trickle of the assistance that could be provided is reaching people.

It is not about systems, it is about the politics and continued impediments to safe and unhindered access. They slow down our humanitarian response and impact the safety and security of civilians, but also those who work to assist them - the humanitarian workers. And this further exacerbates a breakdown of law and order and makes it incredibly difficult to maintain a sense of social stability, which has also characterized Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. And it makes it almost impossible to effectively protect civilians - a deeply vulnerable population, and profoundly traumatized and deeply impacted by the current military operations.

And we have seen it: with political choice, political will, operations can reach people. The polio campaign is often cited as an example of - let’s say - modest success. And it was. Why? Agreements were in place, they were adhered to, the political will was there to ensure it happened. But with all this said, all assistance to date is a mere drop in the ocean.

The Palestinian civilians - and this is not a rhetorical sentence I’m expressing - cannot endure another day of this man-made catastrophe and to live a life in dystopia. An immediate, unconditional ceasefire is not only a moral imperative—it is a legal and humanitarian necessity. It is unacceptable that civilians are asked to bear the brunt of this man-made disaster. International humanitarian law needs to be complied with. Therefore, the call for an immediate and ceasefire is not a second too late. The unconditional release of hostages is not a second too late. And I know all of us have been asking and calling for this.

As I said Excellencies, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madame Deputy SecretaryGeneral, systems are available, the logistics is in place, a database exists, a mechanism, all of you are willing to continue to finance, but we need to be able to reach people.

It is also important in the midst of this crisis that the Early Recovery efforts and the picture of reconstruction of Gaza is held on to. Essential services have continued to collapse, some basic delivery mechanisms remain and the preservation and strengthening of these very few remaining functional capacities - the sustaining of livelihoods and the resilience of an affected private sector, - needs to be carried out. It is not just crucial for the immediate survival of the affected civilian population, the Palestinians in Gaza, but also to give an outlook and a belief, and create hope for the longer-term recovery process. The Palestinian Authority has the plans, the political will and the direction, and its incumbent on us, the UN and international community to support their efforts.

Early recovery, after all, is also an investment in future stability, in prospects of peace of a Palestine of Gaza of which Gaza is an extricable link and entity of a future Palestinian State. Statehood is not only about bricks and mortar; recovery is about restoring lives, dignity, and hope. And the scale of destruction demands a comprehensive and forward-looking approach that addresses not only the physical reconstruction of Gaza but also structural inequities and vulnerabilities that perpetuate its fragility.

The Prime Minister has spoken about infrastructure rehabilitation, economic recovery, housing and shelter and social services. I would like to make a special plea for mental health, too. The scars of war are not only physical. Addressing the trauma, which will and is already intergenerational, experienced by the Palestinians in Gaza, particularly its children, requires robust investments, psychosocial support, education, and community rebuilding programs.

Recovery also needs to be rooted in commitments to equity and sustainability and that every effort we make, we do on behalf and with the Palestinians of Gaza, with the Palestinian Authority, not about them, but for them and in support of them.

And obviously, I can only re-emphasize and reinforce the words spoken by the Deputy SecretaryGeneral, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the undisputable, mandated role UNRWA plays. There is no humanitarian assistance, delivery, let alone the provision of assistance, from education to health and social services, without UNRWA. UNRWA is part of the fabric of the Palestinian society in Gaza. UNRWA is undisputed, indispensable and is part of the future. Despite its unprecedented challenges, it remains indispensable.

One simple truth, restoring Gaza, humanitarian assistance and early recovery is about the restoration of dignity. I also believe it’s about our duty of care, it’s a moral imperative and it’s the least we can do once we look at the eyes of children, we look into their faces, and it should weigh heavily on our collective consciousness. We can do more. We have to do it differently and we already, as United Nations, our colleagues willing to do what is needed.

Thank you so much.